The school year will begin Monday, as scheduled, at a high school that investigators said was targeted by three 15-year-old boys who planned to go on a shooting spree.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office on Friday announced the arrest of three boys who attend Lakeshore High School. Sheriff Jack Strain said the teenagers had plotted to take weapons to school and shoot security officers, a teacher and others on the first day of classes.

Advertisement

"They intended to kill any law enforcement officials at the school who tried to stop them and then collect their weapons," Strain said.

School administrators became aware of the alleged plot and had advised the sheriff's office. Strain said the investigation uncovered an advanced plan that he described as the most serious threat of its kind that he has ever seen.

The names of the students were not disclosed. They are scheduled to appear in a Covington courtroom Monday afternoon for a bond hearing.

It was not clear whether the trio would be charged as juveniles or adults -- a decision that rests with the district attorney.

Officials stressed that they believe the plot involved only the three suspects. They said the boys operated under the guise of a group calling itself "Day Zero."

"They made no attempt to deny their involvement with the plan and admitted their intentions," Strain said. "All three were cooperative with investigators."

Strain did not disclose a motive for the attack. His office confiscated an unspecified number of weapons last week.

First word of the possible threat came a few weeks ago when several students became aware of the "Day Zero" group.

St. Tammany Parish Schools Superintendent Trey Folse said he did not know how many students reported the threat or how worried they were.

"It alerted them enough to turn it over to authorities, with trust that the people they alerted would look into it and take it seriously," he said.